Final answer:
Linear search is a sequential search algorithm that checks each element in a list or array until it finds a match or reaches the end. Its efficiency depends on the worst-case and best-case scenarios, with a worst-case time complexity of O(n) and a best-case time complexity of O(1).
Step-by-step explanation:
In linear search, the algorithm searches for a specific element in a list or array by sequentially checking each element until a match is found or the end of the list is reached. Here is a simple pseudocode for linear search:
function linearSearch(list, target) {
for each element in list {
if element == target {
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
As for efficiency, the worst-case scenario for linear search is when the target element is located at the end of the list or not present at all. In this case, the algorithm would have to make n comparisons in a list of n elements, resulting in a time complexity of O(n).
However, in the best-case scenario, where the target element is found at the beginning of the list, only one comparison is needed, resulting in a time complexity of O(1).